The five openly gay members of the Chicago City Council will be forming a Gay Caucus once they are sworn in May 18, Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said that the Caucus could potentially address issues such as police profiling, school bullying, HIV/AIDS funding and LGBT-inclusive curriculums in local schools. He also suggested they might revisit the idea of set-asides for LGBT-owned businesses, but doubted that "the sentiment from five years ago within the gay and lesbian community is much different than it is today."
Other gay Council members include Alds. Deb Mell (33rd) and James Cappleman (46th). Newly elected members include Raymond Lopez (15th) and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th).
"The influence of the LGBT community is now South Side, North, Northwest. I mean, that's pretty amazing. It's not just a North Side or a Lake View issue. To me, that's as satisfying. That's what's reflective in the nature of the council," Tunney said.
He added, "Our potential caucus is as diverse as the Council itself. . . . I don't think they were elected because they were gay. They were elected because they're from the community or had an agenda. I didn't hear too many [candidates] in the campaigns [say], `I'm a lesbian or gay man.' That's a pretty cool thing."
Chicago Sun-Times' article is at bit.ly/1DHdBNb .